The Big Fancy House

Because my house is on the market and we are in the process of trying to find a new place to live, I have been hyper-aware of other people's homes lately. When we moved out here to our current home 5 years ago, we knew we were making a compromise. The house was actually smaller than the one we'd had in town, but the land around it made it worth it. Plus, we could always add on. But with the CF and the economy shitting the bed, the addition never happened. So, we live in a small house. I really don't mind most of the time. I do wish that we had another bathroom, one I didn't have to share with little boys who often have poor aim.

So, last weekend I went to a couple of parties. One was a birthday party for a 5 year old girl from my son's preschool class, another was a "housewarming" for my friend who recently had a remodel completed on her home in town. I am constantly amazed to find myself in big fancy houses. Who are these people? How do they make their money? I know that Missoula seems to attract an inordinate amount of trustafarians, but I don't think that is who these people are. I've often found myself in the kitchens of other stay at home moms, the kind who do it because they really don't need to work, in awe of the granite counter tops and huge refridgerators...the kitchen itself bigger than the entire downstairs of my house, wondering, "well, how did I get here?"

Then there are the televisions, massive, and many times one in every room, and then the "home theatre" in the lower level, complete with surround sound. What is up with that? We have one small television that we use for watching movies since we don't get any channels.

Anyway, back to the parties and the houses. The little girl's house was one of those big fancy houses with the two rooms entirely devoted to tvs, but they had absolutely no yard. OK, so there's the trade off. And Emily's house is a great reflection of her personality: bright, open, classy, and somehow managing to look simple and elegant at the same time. She's now got a beautiful four bedroom, four bathroom house in the most desirable area of town. But she is the only one living there (and her dogs). I do envy that anytime she needs to use a bathroom, she doesn't even need to go to another level of her house. And she never has to put the seat down.

At first I thought what I felt at being in these homes was envy, but that is not it. Because I really do just want a simple house. When I look at the big fancy houses on the market that we could afford if we stretched it, I think, "but how would we afford the furniture for that place?" And I realize that I don't want fancy furniture. The boys would just ruin it anyway, and I'm not about to put plastic all over everything to protect it. I want a house I can live in, comfortably.

Plus I like to keep things in perspective. I have been to third world countries. I know that in some places, entire extended families could live comfortably in a house the size of ours. I want to "live simply, so that others may simply live," as the bumper sticker goes. I know that in some places, people don't even have access to clean drinking water, much less indoor plumbing. And I feel thankful for what I have.

What is it with these big fancy houses? Why is it that so many people have these huge fancy televisions? Here we are, this big wealthy country and THIS is how we use it? When so many people don't even have health insurance and can't afford health care, and yet every one has these big freaking tvs? (and the government actually handed out coupons for people to buy digital converters so they could still watch tv after the changeover - wtf don't they offer health care?) I just don't get it. I feel like an alien living on some strange planet.